King Richard III's Hasty Grave Opened to the Public

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The public can now visit the original, hastily dug grave of King
Richard III of England.

The monarch's skeleton no longer inhabits the grave, which sits
in a city council parking lot in Leicester, England. The body of
Richard
III, which was found in the parking lot in August 2012 and
removed for study, will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral next
year.

On Saturday (July 26), however, the King Richard III Visitor
Center opened at the site of the king's first grave.

"We are looking forward to welcoming people from Leicester, and
from all over the world, to learn more about the dramatic story
of the king's life, his brutal death at Bosworth Battlefield and
the compelling story of his rediscovery," visitor center director
Iain Gordon
said in a statement. [ Gallery:
In Search of the Grave of Richard III ]

Discovering Richard III

The spot became Richard's resting place after his death at the
Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. After his death in battle, the
king was taken to Leicester and buried at a Franciscan monastery
known as Grey Friars church. A marker once graced the grave, but
time gradually swallowed the site: The church was demolished
around 1538, and the land it stood on was subdivided and sold off
in the 1700s.

Screenwriter and Richard III enthusiast Philippa Langley
spearheaded the search for Richard III. Historical documents
suggested the Grey Friars site might be under a city council
building parking lot in Leicester. An archeological investigation
led by the University of Leicester Archaeological Service dug
into the lot. Within days, the team began to turn up window
frames, walkway tiles and the floor of Grey Friars Church
— complete with graves.

After anatomical and
DNA study confirmed the skeleton's identity, the Leicester
team announced the discovery of the king's body in February 2013.
They reported that the skeleton showed signs of battle injuries,
including two fatal blows to the back of the head and several
post-mortem wounds inflicted on the king's corpse, likely as a
way to humiliate him after death.

The new visitor's center does not dwell only on the king's death
and ignominious burial. Displays tell the story of Richard's rise
to power during the War of the Roses, a bitter civil war between
dynasties. They also tell of Richard III's death and how his
defeat ushered in the Tudor dynasty. Finally, the center provides
a walk through the search for Richard III's body and the science
used to identify the bones as the king's.

Visitors can view a three-dimensional replica of the king's
bones, and visit the gravesite itself, "preserved in a quiet,
respectful setting" according to the Leicester City Council. The
city expects to welcome 100,000 visitors to the center in the
next year.